Today I am so pleased to welcome Jana Maylin and C.S. Carver to Joyfully Jay. Jana and C.S. have come to talk to us about their latest release, Out of Focus. They have also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving them a big welcome!

What do you get when you combine a Chinese Canadian from one of the biggest cities in the world with a raised-in-the-country German/Scottish/Irish girl from a town in Pennsylvania so small she grew up with woods on all four sides? A story featuring small-town boys reuniting in the big city!

We have been writing together in fandom spaces for years but finally decided we wanted to tell stories about our own characters. Jana is the angst queen, and C.S. or Chris is the fluff marshmallow. Together, we balance each other out. Sometimes.

Thanks for joining us today for a peek at our first release, Out of Focus. We hope you enjoy the excerpt of Sam and Jax reuniting. (Sam calls him Jason here, but you’ll have to read the book to find out why!)

Excerpt

“I didn’t know they were seeing anyone.”

Sam jerks, his eyes snapping open. Despite the intervening years, Sam recognizes the voice. Every muscle in his body tenses, and he tries to convince himself it’s the December chill creeping past the heaters even as his heart rate kicks up again.

Jason is right in front of him, close enough to touch if he was ever going to be that bold. Close enough that his eyes glow amber in the light from the heater. Jason shivers, a delicate movement that makes his shirt ripple, and steps even closer, inside the circle of heat.

“What?” It’s the only thing Sam can think to say, not only because Jason’s crisp scent is addling his brain, but because Sam doesn’t know what Jason is talking about.

Jason cocks his head and smiles. This one looks genuine, not like the coy, flirty smile he gave the man who smoothed his hair behind his ear. More like the Jason in Sam’s memories. “Whoever I slept with.” He wraps his arms around himself with another delicate shiver. “Girlfriend, boyfriend”—he shrugs as if it doesn’t matter—“whatever. I don’t cheat, and I don’t help other people cheat.”

Sam stares at him, his brain whirring to process. “You didn’t—I mean—What would make you think that?”

“You’ve been giving me death glares since I got here. I figured for a stranger to hate me that much, I must have really fucked up.” A car far below honks, making Sam flinch, but Jason doesn’t react. “So you’re saying I didn’t sleep with your”—there’s an almost imperceptible pause as his eyes flick over Sam’s body and back up—“boyfriend?”

Sam can’t repress the shiver at the husky change in his tone. “You didn’t. I don’t have a boyfriend.” The corner of Jason’s lips quirks up even as Sam cringes. Sam’s heart skips when Jason steps closer still and his hand brushes Sam’s forearm as he leans one arm on the balcony railing. Jason angles his body toward Sam, boxing Sam in. This is the closest Sam has ever been to Jason, and he’s surprised to find Jason is barely an inch taller. He always seemed larger than life.

“You want to tell me why you’ve been giving me the evil eye, then?”

Sam’s skin tingles where Jason touched him, and Sam wants nothing more than to melt into him. “You remind me of someone.” It comes out as a whisper.

Jason raises one eyebrow. “Someone who hurt you?

“No. I never got close enough for him to hurt me.

Blurb

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. For romance author Sam Wyatt, a photograph changed the course of his life. Leaving his small hometown in Pennsylvania was the first step to becoming the person he wants to be… now to get out and experience all the things he never let himself do before.<

Jaxton Zhang has never taken the easy road. Being the only Chinese kid in his small Pennsylvania high school, life was complicated. The best thing he ever did was to escape that hick town and chase his dreams. Now an internationally famous model, he only has one desire left… to find the same success as a fashion designer.

Coming face-to-face with Jaxton, the subject of the photo he’s been carrying in his pocket for almost half his life, means Sam needs to decide whether he will embrace more change or let his dreams vanish. Two men running from their pasts… all they need to do is keep what’s important in focus.

This book contains a cocky fashion model, a shy romance writer, meddling best friends, and a  romantic sprint through the Brooklyn library. This is 65,000 words of resolved misunderstandings and high school crush reconnection with moderate heat and angst and a HEA.

Bios

Jana Maylin

Raised in the mountains of Pennsylvania, Jana credits her mother for introducing her to a love of reading as a child. It was her grandmother, though, who sparked her love of romance by slipping her a box of novels as a teenager.

Once Jana realized she wasn’t limited to the worlds created by her favorite authors, she started creating her own worlds. Love is a journey, and Jana enjoys nothing more than capturing the heartfelt—and sometimes heart-wrenching—paths two people might take on their way to finding each other.

When she’s not writing, she’s trying to keep up with a houseful of cats, a never-ending list of television shows, and a TBR list that goes back decades.

• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/janasjourneys
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janamaylin
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/janajourneys
• Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/janamaylin

C.S. Carver 

C.S. grew up reading fairy tales, so happily-ever-afters have always been her thing. As she got older, her taste expanded with her love for stories. From epic fantasy to sweet romance, space pirates and vampires, she loves escaping reality through the eyes of her favourite characters.

Reading inspired her to write. After years of telling stories in her head, she’s finally writing them all down.

When not reading and writing, C.S. runs after her kid, watches as many Korean and Chinese dramas as she can, and makes digital scribbles of her favourite people.

• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/carverscorner/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.s.carver/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cscarverauthor
• Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/cscarver

Giveaway

Jana and C.S. have brought a copy of Out of Focus to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Wednesday, December 28th at 11:59 pm ET.

• By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
• Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
• If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
• Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
• Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
• All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
• By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
• Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
• Void where prohibited by law.